MBIA will not close

The Government of Grenada gives the fullest possible assurance to the general public and visitors to Grenada that the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) will remain in full and effective operation.

Information Minister, Senator Glen Noel, on Monday said the administration will make the necessary financial arrangements for the Airports Authority to ensure the facility remains open to daily traffic.

“The government will do whatever is necessary to ensure the airport remains operational. The MBIA is vital to our economy and we will ensure that the daily operations of the facility are not compromised,” Senator Noel said.

He said, while it is a fact that the airlines servicing Grenada have been directed to pay monies due to the Airports Authority into a special account, the Government of Grenada will act “promptly and decisively”, to ensure that the Authority continues to service the airlines, visitors and the travelling public.

The situation arose due to a court judgment obtained by EXIM Bank of Taiwan against the Government of Grenada for the repayment of outstanding loans.

The Government will give a complete update on the status of efforts aimed at bringing a resolution to the debt with EXIM Bank of Taiwan, during the presentation of the 2012 budget.

MBIA will not close

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The 2012 Carriacou Maroon And String Band Festival To Launch


The 2012 Carriacou Maroon and String Band Festival will be launched on Friday.

The announcement was made by the Grenada Board of Tourism, whose spearheading the activity in conjunction with the Ministry of Carriacou & Petite Martinique Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism and the Grenada Cultural Foundation.

The annual event will be launched in the capital of the Sister Isle, Hillsborough.

Expected at the function which begins at 1:30pm are the Minister for Culture Arley Gill and Minister for Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs, George Prime.

They’re both expected to address the audience.

In addition, participants will include members of the Festival Authority, leaders of the various String Band groups in Carriacou and sponsors of the event.

For 2012, the Carriacou Maroon and String Band Festival will take place from Friday April 27 to Sunday April 29.

It will again feature the traditional smoke food, Big Drum Nation Dance and other cultural art forms.

An exciting mix of musical String Band groups from Suriname, Guadeloupe, Bequia, St. Martin and St. Lucia has also been selected to participate.

This Festival, which is the first of its kind in the region, debuted in 2010.

It’s expected to ultimately become a strong and vibrant tourist attraction that uses cultural entertainment and educational products to highlight and celebrate the culture and heritage of the people of Carriacou and neighbouring islands.

Grenada's Most Exciting Sound

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2nd Annual Waggy T Open Knockout B-Ball Tournament Launched

Prominent Grenadian entertainment promoter, Wayne “Waggy T” Redhead is on the sporting arena again for 2012.

This morning he launched the 2nd annual Knock-out B-Ball Championship in his name, with Digicel and Vita Malt as the major sponsors.

And all the action will be at the Cuthbert Peters Park in Gouyave, come February 25.

Some 13 teams from around the island, except from St. David and St. Patrick, are registered to participate.

Among them are some big guns, Sissons Sparklers; Johnson Sportswear Tornadoes, Southern Elite, River Road Lakers, Carenage Generation and Wee FM Ballheads.

Over twenty thousand dollars will be at stake together with trophies and medals.

Waggy T has become ever so popular combining sports and cultural entertainment.

Waggy T says the tournament this year will be much bigger than last year and is expected bumper crowds.

Waggy T, the director of Mega Force Promotions, says there will be additional seating accommodation with the availability of bleachers.

The first games on the night of February 25 are RGPF versus Eagles and Southern Elite versus Four Roads.

We will have more on this story in our primetime sportscast.

Grenada's Most Exciting Sound

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New Insurance Act seeks compliance

An undisclosed number of insurance companies in Grenada have been sanctioned for being non-compliant in accordance with the new Insurance Act. Head of the Grenada Authority for the Regulation of Financial Institutions (GARFIN), Angus Smith made the announcement while speaking last week Thursday at the brand launch of Beacon Insurance Company.

Smith said sanctions for non-compliance that is a key component of the new Act is to encourage insurance companies to avoid being penalised. “We have actually started penalising some companies for non-compliance in certain areas,” he told the ceremony.

west-india-spices

“The one thing we stress to the companies we supervise is compliance. We urge everybody to make sure, the local staff, the local management are familiar with the legislation,” he said. According to Smith the Insurance Act gives GARFIN the power to bar someone from being a manager or director of such an entity if they are determined to be not fit and proper.

The new Insurance Act, which replaced the 1973 Legislation and was passed in March 2010, is geared at significantly strengthening supervision and regulation of insurance companies in Grenada. According to Smith, capital requirements for local insurance companies increased from $500,000.00 to $2 million, and for foreign companies from $3 million to $5 million.

The new Insurance Act also covers pensions. Smith said companies could now register their pension plan for tax purposes only. “For the first time our pensions fall under the Insurance Act and are subject to supervision and regulation by GARFIN,” he remarked.

To date, GARFIN has registered about 20 pension plans. Through the new Act, quarterly reporting is required to be done by companies. Smith indicated that the Insurance Act is meant to be a harmonized piece of legislation throughout the Eastern Caribbean region.

New Insurance Act seeks compliance

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The casino gambling plotters

THE NEW TODAY newspaper has obtained documentary evidence linking Zublin G'da Ltd to a scheme in which letters of comfort were being prepared for "emissaries" to get government officials to sign off on with respect to casino gambling on the island.

It was one of these letters in August 2011, which forced Prime Minister Tillman Thomas to sack his Minister of Foreign Trade and The Environment, Joseph Gilbert, the Member of Parliament for St. Patrick West. When questioned by the Prime Minister at an emergency Cabinet meeting last month, Minister Gilbert admitted that he had signed the letter and given it to Winston Whyte, a former top official of Zublin.

The letter purported to give a casino gambling outfit known as Harbour Holdings Ltd assurances that Cabinet will change the laws of the country to grant a licence for its planned activities on the St. George's new port. Zublin had entered into an arrangement with Harbour Holdings to sell the group a specific plot of land on the port that would be used to establish a modern casino.

As part of the deal, Zublin was also expected to get the necessary licence for Harbour Holdings to operate the casino. This newspaper understands that certain "emissaries" were dispatched to meet with specific government officials in order to solicit their support in influencing the Cabinet to take the steps for the casino gambling licence to be made available.

The two accompanying documents give a clear indication as to the behind the scene moves that were being made by the casino promoters to pursue the gambling licence from the Tillman Thomas-led government:

The casino gambling plotters

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ADJUSMENT IN THE PRICE OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS JANUARY 2012

ST. GEORGE’S GRENADA, Friday, February 17, 2012: The general public is hereby informed that, effective, Saturday, 18th February 2012, the retail prices of petroleum products (Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene and LPG {Cooking Gas}) in the State of Grenada will be as follows:



Grenada:

Products Old Price New Price

Gasoline $15.12/IG $15.99/IG
Diesel $15.01/IG

$15.49/IG
Kerosene $12.09/IG $12.71/IG


L.P.G (Cooking Gas):


20 lbs Cylinder $45.00 $45.00
100 lbs Cylinder $264.97 $274.76
Bulk $2.71/lb $2.81/lb

Carriacou


Products Old Price New Price

Gasoline $15.28/IG $16.15/IG
Diesel $15.17/IG $15.65/IG
Kerosene $12.25/IG $12.88/IG


L.P.G (Cooking Gas):


20 lbs Cylinder $54.00 $54.00
100 lbs Cylinder $287.97 $297.76
Bulk $2.71/lb

$2.81/lb


Petite Martinique:


Products Old Price New Price

Gasoline $12.28/IG $13.15/IG
Diesel $12.17/IG $12.65/IG
Kerosene $12.25/IG $12.88/IG



The new Retail Prices are computed based on the average FOB costs: that is; (Ex-refinery prices), for the period, 13th January, 2012 to the 12th February, 2012.

It important for the public to understand that petroleum prices are likely to remain high since Grenada imports nearly all of its fuel. Consumers are urged to act wisely by conserving and using energy efficiently.

Furthermore, consumers are encouraged to immediately notify the Price Control/Consumer Affairs Unit in the Ministry of Finance of any instance of overpricing at telephone number 440-1369.
Energy Division

Ministry of Finance

News

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Former Prime Minister Dies In Hospital

Former Prime Minister, George Brizan, has died according to a family member.

Weefm understands that the former Prime Minster was ailing for quite some time and died at the General Hospital in St. George's on Saturday.

In 1995 George Brizan became Grenada's 6th Prime Minister when he moved to the top post upon the resignation of Nicholas Brathwaite.

Brizan was born on October 31, 1942.

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Masked Men Attack Shopkeeper

A Westerhall, St. David’s shopkeeper is nursing injuries after being severely chopped by attacking masked men. Geddes Gilbert who operates his shop at Stone Street in Westerhall was severely chopped after two masked men armed with a gun and a cutlass assaulted him after failing to obtain money from his business outlet last Friday night.

A family source told The New Today Newspaper the attack took place as Gilbert was just about to close the shop for the night. The source said just as the shopkeeper made his last sale of a Busta soft drink and was in the process of closing the shop, two masked men approached him.

“He said when he saw these two men approached him he realised one had a gun and one had a cutlass,” said the source. Gilbert reportedly managed to push one of the masked men to the ground before running outside from the back of the shop.

The masked bandits went to the cash register but did not receive any cash since the register was already cleared. The source said the attackers then pursued Gilbert and chopped him in the area of the left elbow. “When they pulled the draw, they realised it had no money so they chopped him behind the shop,” he added.

The bandits proceeded to search Gilbert’s vehicle and after failing to get any money then smashed one of the windows with a cutlass. The men also took away two cellular phones, one of which is used by the shopkeeper to provide credit for Digicel customers. This newspaper learnt that after being chopped Gilbert sought help from a neighbour.

Veronicas-visions

However, in the process of trying to alert Gilbert’s relatives about what happened, one of the bandits moved and attacked the neighbour, shooting him with a pellet gun in several areas of his body. The two injured Westerhall men had to be rushed to the St. George’s General Hospital where they were admitted as patients.

Almost eight months ago, Gilbert’s father, Tony Telesford was attacked by two men in the vicinity of the same shop at Stone Road. Telesford who works as a salesman for Choice Bakery had just delivered bread to his son when two masked men armed with a cutlass and gun attacked him.

He was robbed of cash amounting to $900.00, as well as being chopped by the masked men. Police charged Dillon Bonaparte and Jason Lyons from Corinth, St. David’s with robbery with violence in connection with that June 2011 incident involving Telesford SR.

Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church at Mt. Parnassus, St. George’s has been desecrated. A well-placed source told The New Today Newspaper the church was broken into last week and suffered damage to its gold tabernacle, while a number of items were taken away.

The intruder also took away one transformer, eight packets of candles, a quantity of towels, souvenirs, mugs and cups.

Masked Men Attack Shopkeeper

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Benoit convicted of drug possession

Local businessman Aundel Benoit has been found guilty of two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and importing a controlled substance in U.S. District Court last week Wednesday. However, while Benoit has been found guilty by the jurors, his co-defendant Carlyle Williams has been acquitted.

The two defendants left Grenada on a cutter that is owned by Benoit carrying about 550 pounds of cocaine with a street value of US $5 million destined for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2010. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the boat “Laural”, which hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida., in international waters south of Virgin Gorda about 10 a.m. on April 12, 2010, according to an affidavit filed by Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Curtis Lilley.

Benoit who operates the Mangrove Restaurant at Westerhall, St. David’s, and Williams were on board the boat at the time. The Coast Guard advised Benoit who owned the boat for 19 years to head for St. Thomas. A K-9 unit’s search “indicated a positive alert” for the presence of drugs aboard Laural at the St. Thomas Coast Guard dock, according to the affidavit.

west-india-spices

The boat remained at the dock overnight and was hauled out at Independent Boat Yard, where a Department of Homeland Security team scanned the boat with an X-ray that “revealed an anomaly within the hull near the rear of the vessel,” Lilley wrote.

Customs and Border Patrol Agents drilled through the hull and pushed a steel rod through the hole and found the rod’s tip was caked with cocaine when they removed it, according to the affidavit. The agents had to dismantle the stern compartment, which was sealed with fiberglass and painted to match the hull’s configuration.

Benoit will be sentenced in District Court on May 10. Local defense attorney Anselm Clouden who commented on the outcome of the case said he is not surprised that Benoit was convicted. However, Clouden told reporters he believes there is still an opportunity for Benoit to appeal the conviction which would involve maritime issues and fresh evidence with respect to maritime jurisdictional issues.

He said he understood those issues were never raised during the trial and as a result it was fatal to Benoit's case.

Benoit convicted of drug possession

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Security Officer on $100,000.00 for Stealing

A security officer who is employed with one of the leading security firms on the island has been charged with stealing by reason of employment. Rondell Flemming of Mt. Rich, St. Patrick’s is accused of stealing cash amounting to $132,080.00 from the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) of Republic Bank at Wall Street in Grand Anse, St. George’s.

A well-placed source told THE NEW TODAY Newspaper, the 30-year old security officer “confessed” to police investigators attached to the South St. George Police Station about his role in the illegal activity on February 2. The source who spoke on condition that he remained anonymous said the police officers were able to retrieve from the accused man four black plastic bags containing the money.

“The man openly confessed to the police he stole the money from the Teller Machine,” he told THE NEW TODAY. This newspaper learnt that Flemming allegedly burnt some of the money along with a VCR recorder and seals. The source said the discovery of the missing cash and items was made by a group of security officers attached to the firm with which the bank does business and who were in the process of conducting some transactions at the ATM.

Speculation is rife that when the security officers arrived they noticed the control room was opened, and that the surveillance recorder damaged and its cassette missing. Flemming is currently on bail in the sum of $100,000.00, awaiting the start of the Preliminary Inquiry into the theft charges.


Security Officer on $100,000.00 for Stealing

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